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Moving Beyond Infrastructure: Key Outcomes from the Second China-Central Asia Summit

Amid intensifying geopolitical turbulence across China's periphery—from the Israel-Iran conflict in the Middle East, to India-Pakistan tensions in South Asia, and the protracted Russia-Ukraine war in Eastern Europe—Beijing's neighborhood diplomacy has become an imperative for safeguarding regional stability.  In this shifting ...

Chinese Students Are Flocking to Central Asia for Master’s and PhD Degrees

In September 2024, Peng Ran, a former employee at a state-owned enterprise in China’s Shandong province, embarked on a three-day journey by train, bus, and multiple border checks to reach Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. His destination? A PhD program at Kazakhstan National University(KazNU).

The New Great Game: China and the West Vie for Influence in Central Asia

Central Asia is one of those regions that isn't getting a lot of attention these days, as it's not a major player in the escalating U.S.-China trade war. But that may soon change as both major powers look to the region ...

Empty Promises, Open Doors: How U.S. Policy Opened the Way for China in Central Asia

By Yunis Sharifli, CGSP Non-Resident Fellow for Central Asia The Trump administration's tariffs are reshaping more than the U.S.’s trade balances—they’re redrawing geopolitical lines. Although the administration announced a pause on some tariffs this morning, the broader strategic and regional effects ...

AIIB to Finance Construction of Longest Bridge in Central Asia

A Chinese company will help construct a road bridge in Tajikistan set to become Central Asia's longest, an official said Wednesday, as Beijing expands its influence in the ex-Soviet region. The bridge across the Surkhob river in central Tajikistan will be ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

BRICS Announces Numerous New Initiatives

The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...

China’s Xi Pledges Support for Tajikistan ‘Territorial Integrity’

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised on Friday to defend the "territorial integrity" of Tajikistan as he announced a boost to diplomatic relations with the neighboring country on a rare visit. Xi arrived in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe Thursday night from ...

China’s Xi Arrives in Kazakhstan for State Visit, Summit

By James Edgar Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday for a state visit. During his visit, he will attend a meeting of Shanghai alliance nations in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The nine-member ...

China’s Xi to Visit Kazakhstan, Tajikistan July 2-6: Foreign Ministry

The foreign ministry announced Sunday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a leaders' meeting and pay state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan starting on Tuesday. Beijing has ramped up diplomatic efforts in Central Asia. Xi Jinping called for a deepening ...

How China Can Make a Significant Difference in Mobilizing Capital for Climate and Conservation

By Rebecca Ray On February 7, major global creditors will meet at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) to address the continuing debt crisis among emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), which have faced a confluence of crisis factors – ...

Pivot to Asia: Why the Near Abroad is Now China’s Top Priority

For much of the past 20 years, China sought to radically expand its presence beyond its traditional spheres of influence to new regions in Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. China lent billions to countries in these regions and devoted ...

Central Asian Leaders Arrive for China Summit That Could Erode Russian Influence

The leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan have arrived in the ancient Silk Road city of Xi’an for one-on-one meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the first in-person China-Central Asia summit on Friday. Xi is reportedly scheduled to deliver ...

Central Asian Leaders Arrive in Northwestern China For First-Ever Summit With Xi Jinping

Final preparations are underway in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an for a high-profile two-day Central Asian summit that gets underway on Thursday hosted by President Xi Jinping and his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The gathering, known as the ...